Diodes and resistors in an integrated circuit (IC) may be subjected to high voltages. For example, high voltages can develop in the vicinity of an integrated circuit due to the build-up of static charges. A high potential may be generated to an input or output buffer of the integrated circuit, which may be caused, for example, by a person touching a package pin that is in electrical contact with the input or output buffer. When the electrostatic charges are discharged, a high current is produced at the package nodes of the integrated circuit, and is referred to as electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Regardless of the source of the high voltage, it is desirable to have a diode or resistor in an IC that is more resilient to high voltages. Furthermore, as both planar and fin-based technologies are prone to damage from high voltage, it is desirable to have a solution applicable to both technologies.